By Karen Robes Meeks
The Port of Seattle reiterated its commitment to the environment recently when the agency announced it was part of We Are Still In, a national multi-organizational coalition aimed at meeting greenhouse gas reduction goals outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement and declared support for the UN-driven initiative Climate Neutral Now.
The port’s goals to lower emissions reflect the Paris Agreement’s goals in reducing 2005’s emissions by half by 2030 and all or more of those emissions by 2050.
Some of the port’s initiatives to reduce carbon footprint includes:
• Raising its use of renewable natural gas, solar, and wind power and other clean energy sources;
• Requiring all cruise ships and large vessels to use electric power or low-sulfur diesel while at berth;
• Partnering with the ports of Tacoma, Wash., and Vancouver, British Columbia on the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy to improve air quality in the Salish Sea air shed;
• Working with drayage truck drivers to retire its more than 200 polluting trucks and outfit the rest with modern emissions control systems; and
• Put into action a stringent program demanding port truckers to use trucks with 2007 truck emissions technology or better.
“We are actively cutting greenhouse gas emissions from Port operations and working with our tenants to assist them in reducing their GHG emissions,” said Port Commissioner John Creighton. “Leadership to make our carbon footprint smaller is crucial to reducing the threat of global temperature rise.”
Showing posts with label Paris Climate Agreement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paris Climate Agreement. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Friday, June 16, 2017
“Zero” Emissions Goals for LA, LB
By Karen Robes Meeks
Mayors representing the nation’s two busiest seaports spoke Monday, June 12, 2017, of aggressive goals to invest in clear air technology and transition the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach toward zero emissions.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia appeared at San Pedro’s downtown harbor to sign a joint declaration strengthening their commitment to the landmark Clean Air Action Plan, including plans to further lower at-berth emissions and start a zero emissions drayage truck pilot program in the coming years.
“Our ports are the engines that power our economy — they must also be the forces that drive our region toward a greener, more sustainable future,” Garcetti said. “I am proud to stand with my fellow Climate Mayor Robert Garcia today, as we renew our commitment to cleaning our air, and moving boldly toward our goal of zero emissions goods movement at the ports.”
Garcetti and Garcia are among the 292 mayors who are part of Climate Mayors, leaders who endorse adopting in their cities the goals set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement. The group, which Garcetti co-founded in 2014, has quadrupled since President Donald Trump recently announced plans to pull the US from the Paris agreement.
Garcetti and Garcia also launched a new Climate Mayors initiative called the Green Ports Collaborative, which would bring together cities and ports to establish shared environmental standards, demonstrate future demand for zero emissions equipment and trucks, work with manufacturers to produce the vehicles and technologies needed, and take other collaborative action to green ports across the US.
“With the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach ranked as the nation’s two largest ports, it is crucial to double down on our commitment to combating climate change by achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and by committing to zero emissions goals for the Clean Air Action Plan,” Garcia said. “The success of our Ports has proven that you don’t have to choose between the environment and the economy. I look forward to working with Mayor Eric Garcetti and making our cities models for climate action.”
The twin ports, which generate $398 billion of economic activity annually, will announce a timeline and process for CAAP within 15 days, and complete the update of the plan by November. A CAAP Implementation Stakeholder Advisory Group made up of government, maritime, community and other stakeholders will be formed to oversee the 2017 update.
Mayors representing the nation’s two busiest seaports spoke Monday, June 12, 2017, of aggressive goals to invest in clear air technology and transition the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach toward zero emissions.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia appeared at San Pedro’s downtown harbor to sign a joint declaration strengthening their commitment to the landmark Clean Air Action Plan, including plans to further lower at-berth emissions and start a zero emissions drayage truck pilot program in the coming years.
“Our ports are the engines that power our economy — they must also be the forces that drive our region toward a greener, more sustainable future,” Garcetti said. “I am proud to stand with my fellow Climate Mayor Robert Garcia today, as we renew our commitment to cleaning our air, and moving boldly toward our goal of zero emissions goods movement at the ports.”
Garcetti and Garcia are among the 292 mayors who are part of Climate Mayors, leaders who endorse adopting in their cities the goals set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement. The group, which Garcetti co-founded in 2014, has quadrupled since President Donald Trump recently announced plans to pull the US from the Paris agreement.
Garcetti and Garcia also launched a new Climate Mayors initiative called the Green Ports Collaborative, which would bring together cities and ports to establish shared environmental standards, demonstrate future demand for zero emissions equipment and trucks, work with manufacturers to produce the vehicles and technologies needed, and take other collaborative action to green ports across the US.
“With the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach ranked as the nation’s two largest ports, it is crucial to double down on our commitment to combating climate change by achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and by committing to zero emissions goals for the Clean Air Action Plan,” Garcia said. “The success of our Ports has proven that you don’t have to choose between the environment and the economy. I look forward to working with Mayor Eric Garcetti and making our cities models for climate action.”
The twin ports, which generate $398 billion of economic activity annually, will announce a timeline and process for CAAP within 15 days, and complete the update of the plan by November. A CAAP Implementation Stakeholder Advisory Group made up of government, maritime, community and other stakeholders will be formed to oversee the 2017 update.
